24% year-over-year decrease in toxic drug deaths: B.C. coroner

Items are seen on the ground as paramedics from B.C. Ambulance respond to a drug overdose in downtown Vancouver, Wednesday, June 23, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Dozens more people died from unregulated, toxic drugs in B.C. this April, the latest data from the BC Coroners Service shows.

The provincial coroner's preliminary data for April showed 182 people died from toxic drugs, which marked a 24 per cent year-over-year decrease. In April 2023, 239 toxic drug deaths were reported in the province.

B.C. first declared a public-health emergency over the issue in April 2016 and at least 14,582 people have died since then. So far this year, 763 people died from toxic drug overdoses.

"This is more than just a number as each person was irreplaceable to their families, friends, coworkers and neighbours," Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Jennifer Whiteside said in a statement.

"Each of these lives matters. There are not enough words to bring comfort to those who are grieving and to everyone in every corner of our province and across the country who has experienced a preventable loss of a loved one due to toxic drugs."

Provincial data shows unregulated drug toxicity is the leading cause of death among British Columbians between the ages of 10 to 59. Last month, the Coroners Service revealed 126 children and youth under the age of 19 died from toxic drugs between 2019 and 2023. 

About 70 per cent of those who died in April were men, but officials say the death rate among women is increasing. In fact, since 2020, the figure has nearly doubled.

Vancouver, Surrey and the Greater Victoria area saw the most toxic drug deaths in April, followed closely by Prince George and Nanaimo, officials said.

B.C. appoints advisor

On Wednesday, Premier David Eby announced the appointment of B.C.'s first chief scientific adviser for psychiatry, toxic drugs and concurrent disorders. Dr. Daniel Vigo, who's a psychiatrist and a public health specialist, has a goal to improve care for people with complex mental-health and addiction challenges. 

"For every overdose death, there are a number of overdose-related permanently injured brains," he said during a news conference.

"Overdose produces brain injury, and when that injury is severe enough to be diagnosed, preliminary evidence indicates that person has a 50 per cent chance of dying in the immediate future, and the survivors (have) an additional 30 per cent chance of dying in the near future."

Vigo will work alongside the provincial health officer, health authorities, Indigenous partners and people with lived experience to review data and best practices from other areas.

"He'll advise us on new tools and give us advice to help this very specific group of people so they get the help they need, and our communities are safe and healthy for everyone," Eby said Wednesday.

With files from The Canadian Press